LIV Golf

Former LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman "would love to sit down" and talk with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy about how they've financially benefited from the establishment of LIV Golf, noting that he'd "win the debate" regarding the matter.

Norman made his remarks in an exclusive interview with Brad Clifton and Rohan Clarke of Australian Golf Digest.

"I would love to. I would love them to recognize the fact that–like Tiger with his PIP money [Player Impact Program]–that only came because of LIV, right? So Tiger benefited from that. Rory's definitely benefited from that. I would love to sit down and talk to them about it, no question about it. Because I'm not a judgmental person and you only learn the facts and truth when you hear the other side of it.

"But, yes, would I like to sit down with them? Sure, absolutely. And you know what? I'd win the debate."

McIlroy was once one of LIV Golf's most vocal critics, though he's since said he was too "judgmental" of those who defected for the organization. McIlroy also previously said that Norman's exit, which paved the way for new LIV CEO Scott O'Neil, was "probably a good move."

Woods and Norman—a two-time Open champion during his pro days—have had a war of words in the past.

LIV Golf, which is financially backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, opened play in 2022.

It made waves for poaching ex-PGA Tour players for hundreds of millions, with Phil Mickelson reportedly receiving $200 million, Dustin Johnson getting around $125 million and Bryson DeChambeau also getting around $125 million, among other fat paydays.

Those contracts continue to be dished out, as Jon Rahm now owns the biggest one at $300 million. Rahm also received $16,754,488 in prize money plus an $18 million bonus payout last year.

The Saudi Arabian PIF is the managed by the country's government, which has been accused of sportswashing—using sports and entertainment investments to distract from human rights abuses

The PGA Tour notably raised its prize pools significantly as LIV was taking its players, as Lev Akabas of Sportico detailed in June 2023:

"The PGA Tour responded to its competitor by raising tournament payouts to keep players from bolting to LIV Golf. Its total purse for the 2022-23 season was set north of $560 million, an increase of 33% over the previous year, or 25% after adjusting for inflation. In the previous eight years combined, for comparison, the tour's purse increased just 19% in 2023 dollars."

Also of note, the FedEx Cup purse rose from $75 million in 2023 to $100 million in 2024. The PGA also introduced PGA TOUR Signature Events in 2024, which have sizable prize pools. The next one is at Pebble Beach and features a $20 million purse.

According to Golf Channel, Scottie Scheffler raked in big bucks last season, taking home $29,228,357 on Tour, a $25,000,000 bonus for winning the FedExCup an $8 million bonus for leading the Comcast Business top 10 and $1 million more for emerging as the champion at the Hero World Challenge.

The PGA Tour's Player Impact Program, introduced in 2020-21 to financially reward players who "generate the most positive interest in the PGA Tour," notably saw a bump to $100 million in 2023. McIlroy earned $15 million from it in 2023, with Woods netting $12 million.

The number was halved to $50 million in 2024, but Woods still got $10 million, with McIlroy earning $4.5 million.

Tuesday just might be considered a historic day in the golfing world. The Crypto.com Showdown is set to take place on Tuesday evening at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.

Like TNT Sports' "The Match" series, The Showdown will be a made-for-TV event with a unique up-close broadcast and an emphasis on fun. Like The Match, a broadcast team led by TNT Sports' Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley will follow every moment of the action and provide access not found at a typical golf tournament.

When Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka take the course, however, things will be quite a bit different than anything that has come before.

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The Crypto.com Showdown

Who: Scheffler and McIlroy vs. DeChambeau and Koepka

When: Tuesday, December 17

Where: MGM Resorts' Shadow Creek Golf Course

When: 6 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: TNT and Max

---

There are quite a few storylines to follow heading into Tuesday's event. One of the biggest is the prize purse. For the first time in a prolific golfing event, the prize will be paid to the winning team in cryptocurrency.

From Crypto.com:

"Crypto.com's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to cryptocurrency and today's announcement is our latest effort by introducing the world's first major golf tournament with a purse in CRO cryptocurrency."

While a firm figure for the prize purse hasn't been announced, it's believed to be "at least $10 million," according to Jonny Leighfield of Golf Monthly.

Since crypto values fluctuate, the prize could be more or less at the time of payout, though most reports suggest that $10 million will be the minimum.

The course itself will serve as a storyline, as it will serve as a unique challenge for the two teams involved. Shadow Creek features narrow fairways and numerous hazards, which will make precision and planning priorities.

There are more shots than usual from 175 to 225 yards, and a player can separate himself because of how the greens are shaped and framed by trouble," Edoardo Molinari of Golf Digest recently wrote.

The unique format of The Showdown should also be quite a bit of fun. It's an 18-hole team event, but the match will be broken down into three six-hole sections. The first will be a round of best-ball play, while the second will feature an alternating-shot format. The final section will be individual play. Each section will have a point value, and the team with the most points will win.

Scheffler and McIlroy will represent the PGA Tour on one side, while DeChambeau and Koepka will comprise the LIV Golf team.

According to DraftKings, Scheffler and McIlroy opened as -150 (bet $150 to win $100) favorites, while DeChambeau and Koepka carry +125 (bet $100 to win $125) odds.

Seeing which team wins the multimillion-dollar crypto prize will, of course, be the biggest draw for fans watching live. However, the most notable aspect of The Showdown is that it will feature stars from the world's two biggest golf leagues.

The PGA and LIV have been at odds in recent years, and fans have rarely seen golfers from the rival leagues on the same course at the same time. There have been a few events where both were welcome—DeChambeau's epic U.S. Open win over McIlroy was one of the highlights of the 2024 season—but The Showdown will be about camaraderie as much as it is about competition.

"I think with everything that has went on, it was really about us saying, you know what, we're going to take this into our own hands a little bit," McIlroy said, per Sean Zak of Golf.com. , "and we're going to do something basically outside of either tour, to give something back to the fans."

That sense of unity should shine throughout the competition. While stars from both the PGA and LIV have been critical of their rivals at times, they're hoping to make the game of golf bigger and more profitable for everyone involved.

It would seem that these four, at least, are ready for a more unified sport.

"The players want to play together more often," McIlroy said, per Zak.

That includes DeChambeau and Koepka, who once had their own heated rivalry but have since set their differences aside.

"We had our spats," DeChambeau said, per Christopher Powers of Golf Digest. "But we realized when we both went to LIV we had quite a few things in common, kind of like step-brothers in a sense, and we've developed a pretty solid relationship,"

The two leagues announced in 2023 that they were working on a framework of a potential merger, though it hasn't actually transpired yet. In a sense, The Showdown could be viewed as a preview of what's to come—at least when it comes to seeing players like McIlroy and DeChambeau on the course together again.

If nothing else, it will serve as proof that some of the world's biggest stars are eager to get back to playing together.

"I think we'd love to see everybody back together," Scheffler said, per Paul Higham of Golf Monthly. "What I love most is the competition. All this talk about LIV and PGA Tour and money. I think most of us just want to get back to the competition.

Fans will get to see Scheffler, McIroy, DeChambeau and Koepka together again, at least for a night, on Tuesday.

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This year has brought several intriguing storylines to the world of golf, but the divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been one of the biggest. Players from the two rival leagues have often been at odds, and only occasionally on the same course.

However, Tuesday's Crypto.com Showdown will bring four of the world's best golfers together for a game that will bridge the gap between the PGA and LIV.

PGA stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face off against LIV's Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in an 18-hole battle for a massive prize.

According to Crypto.com, the winners will receive a "multimillion dollar purse to be paid in CRO cryptocurrency."

The Showdown shouldn't feel too different from TNT Sports' The Match for fans watching at home—Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley will even be on the call. But it will be an all-new, live event meant to deliver top-tier golf action to the fans.

"The Showdown has been about innovation from the beginning and our commitment to delivering the best entertainment possible for the fans by uniting our sport," DeChambeau said, per Crypto.com.

It should be a fantastic competition, but one golfer appears poised to give his team a significant edge.

🚨 TNT Sports to exclusively present "The https://t.co/ZdNgoALMep Showdown" on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 pm ET across TNT, TBS, truTV & @SportsonMax

⛳️Major winners @McIlroyRory, Scottie Scheffler, @brysondech & @BKoepka in new, premier live golf competition: https://t.co/97mqsj1MRR pic.twitter.com/3u0TA3rRFG

— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) December 2, 2024

The Crypto.com Showdown

Who: Scheffler and McIlroy vs. DeChambeau and Koepka

When: Tuesday, December 17

Where: MGM Resorts' Shadow Creek golf course in Las Vegas

When: 6 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: TNT and Max

---

It may seem a cliche to suggest this could be anyone's game, but it would be accurate. All four competitors are elite golfers who have major wins on their resume.

DeChambeau has won the U.S. Open twice, most recently defeating McIlroy to claim the 2024 title. Koepka has also won the U.S. Open twice and the PGA Championship three times, most recently in 2023.

Koepka's 2023 victory made him the first golfer to win a major as a member of LIV.

McIlroy hasn't won a major since 2014, but he has two U.S. Open victories, a PGA Championship and a British Open on his resume. Scheffler, the hottest golfer in the world right now, won The Masters in 2022 and 2024.

Going in, it's hard not to believe Scheffler's star will shine brightest in The Showdown.

Shadow Creek features relatively narrow fairways on most holes, making driving accuracy more important than raw power. The course will also place an emphasis on approach shots, as Edoardo Molinari of Golf Digest recently explained:

"There are many tee shots where you are either forced to lay up to a certain number or where the fairway gets very narrow past 320 yards. As such, there are more shots than usual from 175 to 225 yards, and a player can separate himself because of how the greens are shaped and framed by trouble."

Scheffler, who leads the PGA in strokes gained by approach this year, should navigate Shadow Creek's challenges well. There are a few holes on which DeChambeau, who leads LIV in drive distance, should have an advantage, but they are few and far between.

"There are only three holes (Nos. 6, 14, 18) where it truly pays to be aggressive off the tee," Molinari wrote.

This isn't to say Scheffler will finish with the day's best round, but his precision and consistency will be huge assets on this course.

The team format could even things quite a bit, though. The 18-hole contest will be broken down into three six-hole sections. The first will feature a best-ball format, while the second will feature alternating-shot team play. The final six holes will be singles play.

Scheffler's edge will be most apparent during the final stage, which is only a portion of the overall competition. He could also shine in the first stage, though the best-ball format will allow DeChambeau and Koepka to gamble a bit with longer drives and more aggressive shots.

McIlroy hasn't been particularly consistent this year, but he's still the third-ranked golfer in the world and can get hot on any given day.

In other words, fans have plenty of reasons to tune in and see how The Showdown unfolds.

Fans of top-level golf competition, high-stakes play and unique viewing experiences will be in for a treat this week. On Tuesday, PGA stars Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will face off against LIV headliners Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in the Crypto.com Showdown.

The Showdown will share many similarities with TNT Sports' "The Match" series. Like some past editions of The Match, this will be a team competition featuring a unique set of rules and featuring an up-close broadcasting format.

Fans who have enjoyed watching TNT Sports' Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley provide commentary for The Match will be in luck too, as both are set to handle broadcasting duties on Tuesday.

Here's everything else you need to know about The Showdown, including scheduling and rules information.

---

The Crypto.com Showdown

Who: Scheffler and McIlroy vs. DeChambeau and Koepka

When: Tuesday, December 17

Where: MGM Resorts' Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas

When: 6 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: TNT and Max

Prize Purse: "Multimillion dollar" purse paid in CRO cryptocurrency, according to Crypto.com

---

The Showdown will be a competition between PGA and LIV stars, though the four competitors seem to view it as more of a collaborative effort than any sort of grudge match between rival leagues.

"We're going to do something basically outside of either tour, to give something back to the fans," McIlroy said, per Sean Zak of Golf.com. "To show them, you know, at least let them know that we're trying to provide entertainment—the players want to play together more often."

For fans who enjoyed watching McIlroy and DeChambeau battle at the U.S. Open or all four competitors on the course at Augusta, this should be a fun reminder of how that looks.

The Showdown will be far different from a traditional golf tournament, though. This will be an 18-hole team event that is broken down into three six-hole stages.

The first stage will feature best-ball rules. For those unfamiliar, best ball is a format in which each teammate plays their own shots on each hole, with the lowest score counting for the team. It's a format that can allow players to gamble a bit, as only the lowest score will count.

Expect team strategies to come into play often during the first stage. As Edoardo Molinari of Golf Digest explained, conservative play could be key on this course.

"Shadow Creek's fairways are slightly tighter than the typical PGA Tour venue, and there is a high penalty for missing them. There are only three holes (Nos. 6, 14, 18) where it truly pays to be aggressive off the tee," he wrote.

That isn't likely to prevent a few risk-reward shots during best-ball play.

The second stage will feature alternating shots. As its name would imply, Teammates will alternate shots on each hole to provide a team score. We're far less likely to see risky play during this stage.

The final section will feature six holes of singles play.

As for the TNT broadcast, it should feature many of the same elements that fans have come to know and love from The Match. However, unlike the recent "The Match: Superstars" event, which was pre-taped and edited, The Showdown will be a live event.

It should all be familiar to three of the four competitors. Koepka and DeChambeau battled in "The Match: Bryson vs. Brooks," while McIlroy outlasted Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Max Homa in "The Match IX."

Golf fans who are hungry for some high-stakes action are in luck. While the 2024 PGA schedule essentially ended with last weekend's Hero World Challenge, another significant matchup looms large.

Next Tuesday, PGA stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face off against LIV stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the Crypto.com Showdown.

The 18-hole event will feel quite familiar to fans of TNT's 'The Match' series. It will be a player-driven event with an up-close-and-personal perspective. TNT Sports' Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley will also provide commentary, as is usually the case in The Match.

Trevor Immelman, David Feherty, Bubba Watson and Lauren Jbara will also contribute during the broadcast.

What sets "The Showdown" apart from The Match is that the "multimillion dollar" prize purse will be paid out in cryptocurrency. From Crypto.com:

"Crypto.com's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to cryptocurrency and today's announcement is our latest effort by introducing the world's first major golf tournament with a purse in CRO cryptocurrency."

The Showdown will also reunite top competitors from different leagues who have only occasionally appeared on the course together recently. For fans of high-level golf, that's one big win before the competition even gets underway.

🚨 TNT Sports to exclusively present "The https://t.co/ZdNgoALMep Showdown" on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 pm ET across TNT, TBS, truTV & @SportsonMax

⛳️Major winners @McIlroyRory, Scottie Scheffler, @brysondech & @BKoepka in new, premier live golf competition: https://t.co/97mqsj1MRR pic.twitter.com/3u0TA3rRFG

— TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) December 2, 2024

The Crypto.com Showdown

When: Tuesday, December 17

Where: MGM Resorts' Shadow Creek golf course in Las Vegas

When: 6 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: TNT and Max

---

While a merger between LIV and the PGA may eventually happen, it hasn't occurred yet. Until it does, golf fans have been forced to watch some of their favorite stars compete separately, aside from events like the U.S. Open.

DeChambeau, by the way, defeated McIlroy by a single stroke to claim the 2024 U.S. Open.

DeChambeau, McIlroy, Scheffler and Koepka seem to hope that The Showdown will be an event that fans can truly enjoy and one that puts aside any PGA-LIV rivalry.

"We're going to do something basically outside of either tour, to give something back to the fans," McIlroy said, per Sean Zak of Golf.com.

The competition itself will feature 18 holes broken down into three six-hole stages. Teams will utilize a best-ball format in the first stage, alternate shots in the second stage and compete in singles play for the final stage.

Each section will carry a point value, and the team with the most points will win.

All four competitors are among the best in the sport, so this should be an extremely fun matchup for those watching at home. The variety of team formats makes it difficult to predict a winner, though it's hard not to give the edge to Scheffler and McIlroy.

Scheffler is unquestionably the top golfer in the world right now and is coming off a historic PGA season. He won seven tournaments in 2024, including The Masters and the PGA TOUR Championship.

McIlroy hasn't been as consistent this year, but he's still ranked third in the World Golf Rankings. DeChambeau and Koekpa are both elite golfers with Majors wins on their resumes. However, it's hard to envision anyone unseating Scheffler, even in a team event.

Prediction: Scheffler and McIlroy win

Amid speculation that Tony Finau would be the latest golfer to ditch the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, he's making it clear that he's not interested in defecting to the upstart league.

"They're not true," Finau told Adam Schupak of Golfweek of the rumors linking him to LIV Golf, going further to call the sources "random people" and "not credible."

The speculation about Finau potentially joining LIV Golf has been fueled by the fact that he has not yet officially registered for the Sentry in Hawaii on the island of Maui, which kicks off the 2025 PGA Tour season on Jan. 2. However, the 35-year-old declared that he will be in the tee box when the season-opening tournament commences.

"I'm more than happy where I'm at on the PGA Tour and looking forward to 2025. When I tee it up in Maui, it will all go away, so, I don't worry about it one bit," Finau said.

Finau was forced to withdraw from this week's Hero World Challenge, a golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods in the Bahamas, after undergoing what he described as "pretty standard clean-up" surgery on Oct. 15 to repair a torn meniscus and remove cartilage in his left knee.

"I called Tiger and made sure he knew," Finau said. "He said, 'I would've told you to do the same thing.'"

Finau added that he's not yet clear on whether he will be able to team with LPGA star Nelly Korda in next week's Grant Thornton Invitational, but his recovery progress has helped ignite his confidence that he'll be ready for the start of the 2025 season.

"The last couple of seasons have been kind of rough with my knees," he said. "I'm optimistic about this coming season about being more fully healthy than ever.

On Nov. 13, Bryson DeChambeau began a quest to hit an ace from a tee in front of his Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex home to a golf hole in the back of his property.

Sixteen days later, on his 134th attempt, the two-time US Open champion got it done.

What a journey pic.twitter.com/iEQhu1KdwH

— Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondech) November 27, 2024

The 31-year-old followed the shot pattern from previous efforts, giving himself as many attempts as the day he was on. So he began Wednesday, his 16th day, with 16 attempts to get it done.

DeChambeau got close on a few attempts, most notably his second, which landed just a few feet right of the hole.

He had that same flight path on his 14th shot, except this time, it kicked left and slowly rolled in.

Understandably, an exuberant DeChambeau celebrated his shot, sprinting to the back of his house and throwing his hat up in the air.

DeChambeau has enjoyed a fantastic golf season, including a U.S. Open win, a PGA Championship runner-up finish and a T6 at the Masters. This latest accomplishment is probably a step below his major results, but it's an impressive one nonetheless.

The PGA of America announced on Thursday that LIV Golf players are eligible to compete in the PGA Championship and participate on U.S. Ryder Cup teams, according to Reuters (via ESPN).

"Going forward, all LIV Golf players are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American player who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to the U.S. team as a captain's pick is eligible to compete," the PGA of America said. "This is consistent with LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship the past two years."

A Statement from the PGA of America. pic.twitter.com/Lg92Dl8U30

— PGA of America (@PGA) September 19, 2024

Brooks Koepka of LIV Golf was previously a member of the 2023 Ryder Cup team due to a grace period that allowed him to retain PGA of America membership through 2024.

Koepka was able to participate on the team largely due to his victory at the 2023 PGA Championship, becoming the first LIV Golf player to win a major championship.

LIV members were previously allowed to participate in the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup due to a grace period that ran through June 2024, with the PGA of America resolving the issue on Thursday after the period ended (via Reuters).

"It's more of a cleanup," PGA of America interim CEO Kerry Haigh explained, per NBC Sports' Rex Hoggard. "We've added the LIV tour to the list of tours that are eligible towards A-3 membership, which all [PGA] Tour members are eligible for. The LIV players had previously been [PGA of America] members but had we not done this they would have had to go through more requirements which no other tour members are asked to do."

This allows a clearer path for golfers such as Bryson DeChambeau, who ranks No. 3 on the points list for the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team, to participate.

European LIV Golf players will still need to be members of the DP World Tour in order to make their respective Ryder Cup teams, meaning that they're still subject to fines and suspensions that were issued after joining LIV.

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf announced a framework agreement to form an alliance in June 2023, although the merger is still being finalized more than a year later.

Jon Rahm got a significant payday following the conclusion of his debut season with LIV Golf.

The golfer won the final individual event of the season on Sunday by carding a 4-under 66, also securing the season points title with the win. By winning the season points title, Rahm took home the $18 million top prize, per Golf Monthly's Matt Cradock.

At LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday, Rahm had a few slip-ups on the back nine, missing two birdie putts that allowed Joaquín Niemann and Sergio Garcia to remain close behind him. He gained some breathing room on the 17th hole, carding a birdie on a 12-foot putt to take a three-stroke lead heading into the final hole.

The win marked Rahm's second in LIV Golf this season, his other win coming in England in August. He's finished inside the top 10 of every LIV Golf event this year except for the LIV Golf Houston, which he withdrew from due to a foot infection.

"I wanted to do a good show and get it over the line. I'm really happy," Rahm said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "To go bogey-free on the weekend, it's quite spectacular. I'm very proud of the putt on the 17th, which made 18 a lot easier."

Niemann and Garcia finished tied for second at 8-under 66. Neimann earned $8 million in prize money for finishing second in points with Garcia taking home a $4 million bonus for finishing third.